Frozen Hearts
by An Unknown Foreign Beauty
Summary: Modern AU. Elsa vows to protect her sister Anna by any means after the death of their parents. So when she crushes Anna's marriage with Hans, angry Anna leaves the house, only to have an accident for her reckless driving. She is rescued by mysterious Kristoff, while Elsa mourns with the false news of her death. Meanwhile, Hans plans to take advantage of the mourning Elsa…
1. 2003: Sisters

**Frozen Hearts**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

**(A Modern AU)**

Chapter 1- Sisters

2003

"May I come in, dear?"

Elsa stopped in the act of turning off the lights, and leaned back against the pillow, "I'm not asleep, papa."

"You look wonderful, dear." Her father, Mr. Kingsley exclaimed moving towards his daughter, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, papa." Elsa took the complement shyly, and then looked at her father. At the age of forty five, Mr. Kingsley was indeed a tall, dark, and charming man. His blinding personality kept his business of hotels across the world running like well oiled machines. And he was confident. But right now, he looked very uneasy, and hesitant. Elsa just knew why, because he wanted to talk about her new mother.

"Elsa,…" He hesitantly took her hand in his, and sat down in the bed beside her, "You know that I was in love with her…" He stopped in the middle, fixed his eyes on his daughter to see her reaction. "But you like her, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." She nodded, and she understood why he remarried. The death of her mother took a real toll upon her, and Mr. Kingsley really understood what to do to save his daughter from being engulfed by depression. He watched her growing up alone, being isolated from the society. But when he watched her growing relationship with his newest girlfriend, he just couldn't waste another moment.

"She seems really nice." Elsa said after a moment, letting her thoughts marveling in the world of adults, "And she loves me too. Is that the reason you hurried the marriage? Just for me?"

Mr. Kingsley blinked for a second. He didn't expect such mature words from his fourteen years old daughter. He gazed at her face for a moment, and then placed his finger under her chin to tilt her face upwards, "You're my first concern, dear. But that wasn't really the entire reason. She wanted me for me. Not for my money. She didn't freak out when I told her about you."

"So all the other women you proposed turned you down just because of having me as their daughter?" Elsa remembered the reaction of all the women her father introduced with her before her new mother. The death of her mother, and her grandparents, everyone considered as her fault, even she was so little. People were afraid of her, always considered as a bad omen. Even sometimes she thought the fault was hers.

"They were superstitious, stupid people." Mr. Kingsley smiled affectionately, wondering about the mature mind of his daughter "She doesn't believe any of this. She thinks it is amazing. But she was worried first because she thought; her daughter Anna wouldn't fit with you because she is a little wild."

Elsa entertained the thought of having another sibling. After years of growing up alone, she really wanted to have someone to talk with, someone to play with, and someone to share the girly secrets. And now the idea of having all of those things together really made her happy.

"Then she really loves you." Elsa declared at last.

Mr. Kingsley's smile widened, and his blue eyes lighted up with affection, "Yes, she really does. And she loves you too."

Elsa had liked her new mother well enough when she met her earlier this day, but the tenderness in her father's eyes and the love in his voice when he talked of her carried an enormous amount of additional weight with Elsa. "I like her a lot," she confessed.

A smile of relief dawned across his face. "I knew you would. She likes you, too. She said you're very sweet and very poised. And she likes when you call her mama. She says you and Anna look really good together."

"I asked Anna if I can call her mama. And she lets me." Elsa replied, thinking back over all the information her thirteen- year-old stepsister had provided during their first day together. "I told her to call you papa." She added enthusiastically.

"Very clever, young lady she is." Mr. Kingsley ruffled Elsa's platinum blonde hair affectionately, "I guess you liked her a lot too."

"Yes, I did." Elsa big blue eyes practically glittered with joy with the memory of her new little sister, "She is different. She's… friendly and honest, and she says that people says that she is a little wild. People bully her always, and but I think she is great. Oh, and she thinks _you're _practically a king," Elsa added with a grin.

"Then you two go along together." Mr. Kingsley kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Oh, yes." Elsa beamed, "And I'm so glad that they moved in with us."

Across the hallway, Mrs. Kingsley seated with her daughter Anna, who was fidgeting under her covers restlessly. "You know Elsa, she is just wonderful. And the things she does with ice, I just can't but admire. Its too bad that people often call her freak."

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Kingsley gently pushed her down to the bed, and pulled the blanket to her chin, "She is a little darling. I felt so bad for her when her dad told me about her. Always so lonely. It's really hard way to grow up."

"Yes.." The little girl agreed, shaking her tiny golden braids, "She thinks it is a curse. Her mother died when she was born, and her grandparents died when she was five. Everyone thinks her as a bad omen. But I told her that she wasn't. Everything was an accident. Even I liked her idea of making an ice hotel. I think I've many other things to add to her idea."

"That's sound very nice, dear." Mrs. Kingsley smiled, watching her impatient daughter, "You can talk about your plans tomorrow.  
"But.." Anna pouted, "Elsa promised that I'll be the first to look at it."

Mrs. Kingsley marveled at the growing relationship between the girls. She cupped Anna's chin, and tilted her head upwards to look at her, "You like her, don't you?"

"Yes," Anna shook her head violently, "Too much. She told me that she likes me too."

Mrs. Kingsley smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm over her new sister, and then when she gazed at her face, another thought crossed her mind, "And… um… did she say anything about me?"

"What about you?" Anna asked with sham confusion.

"What does she think about me?"

"Let me think. Oh, yeah, I remember now! She said you looked mean and sneaky, and she said you'll probably make her stay home and scrub floors while I get to go to balls and dance with princes. I told her she was probably right, but that I'd ask you to let her wear the glass slipper as long as she didn't leave the house."

"Anna!—"

Laughing, Anna leaned forward and hugged her mother as she finally told the truth. "Elsa said you seemed very nice and she likes you. She told me that she grew up alone, until you stepped into her life. And she was very happy that you're not sacred of her."

"Did she really say she likes me?"

Sobering, Anna nodded emphatically. "She asked me if she can call you mama. I told her that she could."

Mrs. Kingsley hugged her daughter close and laid her cheek on Anna's blond hair. "Oh, now I've two daughters." Her voice turned raw with emotion, "Oh, Anna, how much I love that."

"I love to have another sister." Anna smiled, "And I'm so happy with her."

"I know that, darling." Mrs. Kingsley kissed her daughter's cheeks, "And I love you two."

The hallway was as black as pitch as Anna made her way across the hall toward Elsa's room. Her fingertips finally encountered the doorframe, and she raised her hand hesitantly to knock just as the door flew open, startling a muffled squeal from her. "I was just coming over to see if you were awake," Elsa whispered, backing up and beckoning Anna into her room.

"Is mama happy with me?" Elsa inspected the younger girl's face worriedly, "I heard her crying."

"Oh, yes." Anna let out a sigh, perching on Elsa's bed, beside her, marveling at the fine linens of her bed, and the elegancy of the older girl. "She was just so happy with you. She cried when she learned that you're going to call her mama." Anna saw a thin smile lacing Elsa's perfect rosy lips. She was so glad to have this girl as her sister. "So what about papa?"

"He thinks that you're a clever, smart young lady. He was all chocked up." Elsa looked down at her lap and drew a long breath, then lifted her eyes to Anna's, "I guess they were afraid that we're not going to like each other."

"That is pointless." Anna let out a high pitched giggle, "I already like your hair."

"And I like the way you smile." Elsa teased. "And I've something for you." She opened the fridge, and took out a few crystals of ice, and arranged them on the floor, making the pattern of Anna's name. From the corner of her eyes she watched Anna's mouth was slightly gaped at her talent.

"What do you think?" Elsa eyed at her sister worriedly.

"I think." Anna grinned after a moment's silence, opening her hand. "I can give you something too."

There were a few eggs on her palms. "They are turtle eggs." Anna declared happily, "I saved them from my friend's house." She pointed at her sweatshirt reading the words, "_Save the turtles_**."** "But they died. They were never hatched." She looked at Elsa's face, waiting for her reaction. "What do you think?"

The two girls eyed one another in smiling silence, then, as if by mutual agreement, flopped onto their backs.

"I think," Elsa said after a moment's contemplation, "this could turn out to be really, really _cool_!"

Anna nodded with absolute conviction. "Totally cool," she proclaimed.

For the first time in forever Elsa thought she found someone to love, someone to live for, someone to protect from all the odds.

And she would do it.

**REVIEW? FAVE? FOLLOW?**

**Plzzz…I love them a lot. Sorry for the errors. English isn't my first language.**

**I've seen the movie yesterday, and I love Elsa. I've changed their ages and relationship a bit, and made Elsa an ice artist, to make it believable. ****And the idea sparked while reading the book "Remember When" by Judith Mcnaught. Few of the themes I uses from the book, and I must say they never belong to me. I liked to see how it works, and I guess it worked well for our favorite princesses. ****But rest of the story line is exclusively mine. ****I can say the plot will be little bit twisted, as time comes. And yes, a bit darker, and modern.**

**Merry Christmas.**


	2. First crushes

**Frozen Hearts**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

Chapter 2- First crushes

Two months later

"At first we're going to meet the principal, where you can choose your classes." Elsa instructed Anna on their way to the school. The summer vacation ended yesterday, and the girls were going to start their school today. Everything was exciting for Anna, especially when she was going to start the high school.

"Are we going to meet a lot of boys?" instead of listening to Elsa, Anna lowered her voice so they wouldn't be heard by their parents, who were busy in kissing each other in the front seat.

"Umm.." Elsa, who was startled by the younger girl's question, lowered her eyes from the rear view mirror which was reflecting their parent's action, "Yes, of course. There are loads of them."

"Really." Anna's blue eyes glittered with excitement, "So have you met one yet?"

Elsa bit her lips for a moment, trying to remember the attitude of her classmates at her. She always belonged to the loner group, hiding in the libraries when everyone enjoyed the party. But it wasn't like that she never notice any boy, especially the one with auburn hair, and brown eyes, Hans Southerniles, who always made her heart racing like a horse. But he was too busy with his hoards of girlfriends, so there was no chance for her.

"Actually I was too busy to meet one." Elsa replied at last.

"Oh, really!" Anna rolled her eyes, punching Elsa's arm playfully, "Don't make me believe that. This year I'm going to be your matchmaker."

"I can see that already." Elsa smiled affectionately, ruffling her soft blonde hair.

Elsa had already become Anna's best friend and champion. She helped Anna choose her clothes, helped her fix her hair in different styles, and guided her through the joy of their new lives. Anna admired her too much, and was really grateful to have her as her sister. Though Elsa was socially awkward, Anna decided to guide her through the social maze.

The car stopped in front of the school gate, and the both girls kissed their parents goodbye before heading toward the school gate.

Anna looked around her surroundings; the high school was going to be a lot better than her previous one, especially when she had Elsa as her sister. She beamed at Elsa, who smiled in return, and they entered through the open gate together.

A chorus of murmured laughter rose from their behind as they passed the corridor. Both Elsa and Anna turned to find a group of girls laughing right behind them.

"Look Elsa got a friend!" A blonde girl shouted, before busting into a high pitched giggle. "Another freak?" The brunette joined her. Anna threw a troubled look at her sister, who remained calm like always. She gently took Anna's hand, and approached to the bunch of giggling girls.

"She is my sister." She gently introduced Anna with them, "Anna, they are my classmates. " She continued looking at Anna, "Most of their fathers are papa's business partners."

Anna disliked them instantly.

"Oh, I see" A blonde girl named Valarie raised her eyebrows sarcastically, "How can she become your sister? Is she an illegal child of your father?"

"Our parents got married two months ago." Elsa replied curtly, noticing Anna's uneasiness. They were so jealous of Mr. Kingsley's fame.

"Step-sister, then?" Another girl Hailey smiled, "How nice! The freak got a step sister."

It was the perfect ammunition to shut Elsa up. The girls busted into laughter again. Anna was shocked to learn how outcast her sister was. She felt a sharp pang of guilt when she saw the hurt look in Elsa's face.

"How can you live with that freak?" Valarie Cooper whispered, eyeing Elsa, "We're classmates, but we can never get along with her."

Elsa cringed at their tone, but said nothing. Anna obviously sensed it, too, and tried to head them off, her voice sweet and persuasive. "She is not weird. You've never tried to get to know her."

"We tried to get to know her for the last eight years." Valarie declared with haughty finality, ignoring Elsa's hurt look completely, "But we can't. She is obviously a freak. The first thing she did good in the last eight years to bring you here…"

"Anna," Elsa whispered, obviously hurt from their comments, "Umm… I better go to the principal's, and…"

"No," Anna placed her hand on her arm, and whispered, "Wait…"

"Don't talk about my sister like that." Anna said stubbornly, "She is sweet and kind. I know her for two months."

"_Step-sister_…Anna." Valarie put extra emphasis upon the word _step-sister, "_She is your _step sister_. She is a witch. She will take away everything good from you."

Anna understood why Elsa despised these girls. They were so mean, and narrow minded. "She isn't like that." Anna protested.

"Anna," Elsa said to her sister coldly, "There's no good to argue with them."

"No, Elsa." Anna assured her elder sister, "They must learn who you are."

Rest of the students in the corridor winced with empathy for Elsa, and sympathy for Anna who they were certain would buckle under the intense peer pressure, but poor little Anna didn't give an inch, even though her voice never lost its softness. "I'm really sorry you all feel that way," she said sincerely, directing her words to Valarie, who was the leader of the disaster, "I guess I never realized you'd be afraid of the competition if you gave her a chance."

"What competition?" Hailey Haywood asked, looking baffled but concerned.

"Competition with boys. I mean, Elsa is very pretty, and she's different, so naturally the boys are going to be hanging around her wherever she goes."

Hearing her declaration the whole group busted into laughter, "Boys? With her?" Nancy rolled her eyes, "Who on earth is going to like Elsa? The ice king?"

Elsa turned red. Even Anna's words stopped for a second, remembering Elsa's reaction about them. But she wasn't giving up. "Elsa already has a boyfriend back home, and she isn't interested in having another one here."

"What?" A strange silence fell across the girls, who gave the sisters a puzzled look. "Who is her boyfriend?" Suddenly Valarie asked, her voice dipped sarcasm, "Do we know him?"

"I know him." the girls startled with a voice speaking from behind. Elsa turned to meet the owner of the voice, the tall, auburn haired boy with bright brown eyes. "Hans!" she whispered, her heart had already began racing like a horse.

The sight of the most popular boy in the class effectively shut rest of the girls, but Valarie wasn't giving up. She placed her hands on her hips, and demanded, "Who?"

"Elsa never talks about him, because his name is kind of odd." Hans smiled at Elsa. Elsa felt she was going to turn into a puddle of gratitude.

"How odd?" Valarie persisted.

"Very." Hans smiled, catching Elsa's eyes, "His name is Olaf. They met in the last winter."

"He likes warm hugs." Elsa at last smiled at the girls. "I love him a lot."

"He is a very nice little guy." Hans muttered under his breath, and then turned to Elsa, "Now we better head to the class, shall we?"

"Yes," Elsa was still blushing, "Of course."

When Hans and Elsa left for the class, Anna strolled through the corridor startling Elsa. "Tell me something," she said with a conspiratorial grin. "Who is Olaf?"

Elsa nodded slowly. "My boyfriend."

"And Olaf is…"

"A snowman." Hans added from behind.

Elsa lowered her head and blushed, fortunately Anna didn't notice that. She raised her eyebrows and looked at the older boy, "How did you know?" she charged.

'Because I met Olaf in the last winter at Elsa's house." Hans replied in an amused voice, "She was hugging it so much, which made me to think…."

"Don't think like that about my sister in future.." Anna warned.

"Well…" Hans raised his eyebrows playfully, casting his inevitable charm. Anna tilted her head upwards to say something, and met his amazing brown eyes, and she stopped. She gaped like a fish for a second, as if she was trying to find her words, but she couldn't. A thousand of butterflies flattered in the pit of her stomach.

"Anna.." Elsa gently touched her sister's shoulder, making her to jump, "We must go…"

"Oh, yes.." Anna closed her mouth. Hans raised his eyebrows, and looked at his wristwatch, "Yes, we must. Sofia will be waiting for me."

"I see." The smile disappeared from Elsa's lips, fortunately Anna didn't notice that. Sofia was Hans's steady girlfriend for the last two years. She was so beautiful with amazing personality, that Elsa knew that she stood no chance.

"I wish, he would come to my birthday party tomorrow." Anna sighed, as Hans waved them goodbye.

Elsa moved her eyes from the handsome boy, and smiled at her sister, "Of course, he will, because his uncle is papa's business partner."

"Really?" Anna's excitement returned, "We're going to see him again."

Elsa sensed that her sister fell head over heels for the boy. Alright, she couldn't blame her. Everyone fell for Hans. Besides, she was never going to make an approach to him anyway. She was a bad omen. And she didn't want anything bad happening to Hans, and she didn't want to break Anna's little heart….

"Umm…" Elsa rolled her eyes, hiding her sigh effectively, "But before that we need to see the principal first."

Meanwhile at the principal's office, Kristoff Bjorgman was collecting his transfer certificate. Today he was going to move in with his grandmother to Alaska. After living with his abusive step-father for the last ten years, moving in to Alaska sounded pretty thrilling and refreshing. Besides he wasn't going to miss this place. He was the unnoticed one in the school, and he never had any friends.

Until when, he bumped into a petite blonde girl on his way out of the principal's office. She was nearly knocked to the floor by him in an awkward position with him above her, and when he laid his eyes upon her, the petite blonde struck him as a refreshing exception. Everything about her was appealing and wholesome, and yet he sensed there was something about her that the other girls lacked. She had hair the color of the sun and a pair of startlingly large, long-lashed eyes—clear, luminous, mesmerizing blue eyes that regarded him, and the rest of her world, with genuine interest. They were expressive eyes, bright with honesty, and yet filled with a sweetness that made Kristoff to feel flattering butterflies in the pit of his stomach.

"Sorry." He murmured, getting up, and brushing his ruined second-hand shirt he got from the Sunday market.

"Are you alright?" The girl asked with genuine concern in her voice.

"Umm…yes.." Kristoff mumbled, the butterflies in his stomach turned really bad.

"Oh, thank God." The girl sighed in relief. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes for a while until they were startled by another voice.

"Anna, what are you doing here?" they turned to find Elsa Kingsley approaching near the younger girl, with a concern in her face.

"Umm…nothing." Anna replied breaking their eye contact, and then smiled sweetly at Kristoff, "I better dash. I've some formalities to do at the principal's office."

Kristoff watched her to join the older Kingsley girl, and let out a sigh. She was pretty opposite to the shy older Kingsley girl. Somehow he liked it. He heard her talking with Elsa on their way to the principal's office.

"What's she like?" Anna asked her sister.

"Who?"

"Sofia, Hans's girlfriend." She threw her a wistful look.

There was a long pause. And then Kristoff heard Elsa's low voice, "Well, she is blonde, tall, and fair." Kristoff sensed the sadness in Elsa's voice. Hans was like a celebrity in their class. Every girl had a crush on him. "She is so sociable creature."

"I wish to be tall." "Anna confessed with a sigh.

"Oh, no Anna…" Elsa giggled, eying her sister, "Don't get a crush on Hans. He and Sofia are going out for a while."

"Then I'm jealous of Sofia." Anna confessed honestly.

"Yeah, every girl is." Elsa added with a sigh.

Suddenly Kristoff began to feel sad for Anna, who was currently aiming for the moon. And she got a crush for Hans. Real bad! That guy was already taken. He was feeling sad for her impending heartbreak, and he felt a strange urge to comfort her. But he knew he stood no chance with this ultra rich girl.

Moreover it was his last day here. Kristoff never imagined that he would ever regret over the idea of leaving this place.

But now he did.

**REVIEW? FAVE? FOLLOW?**

**Plzzzzzzz, I love them a lot. Sorry about the errors.**

**So, we got the boys, and the love triangle (two love triangles, if you say). So bad that Kristoff is leaving, but wait we'll meet him later. And I like Hans as a charmer of girls. What do you think?**

**Next chapter will be a crucial and dark one. So stay tuned.**

**Wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.**


	3. Sister mine

**Frozen Hearts**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

Chapter 3- Sister, mine

_Nine months later_

_T_he riding ring was on a slight incline, thirty yards to the right of the stable. It was surrounded by a low, white fence and brightly lit now by huge, new mercury-vapor lights on high poles that shone almost as bright as daylight on the ring and simultaneously cast everything else into shadow. Boys from aristocratic families had already chosen their horses, and had led them towards the ring. It was an annual program among the small social groups of the multi-millionaires of Florida. The boys climbed on their horses, and with the sound of the whistle all of them bolted from the starting line. Mr. Kingsley smiled as Anna jumped from her seat, and began snapping pictures. She had taken photography as a hobby since she had laid her hand on the new digital camera on her thirteenth birthday. And she was getting quite good in it. It had been nine months since they started their new life in the Kingsley mansion, and the Kingsley couple took a hard task of socializing their children. It became a real hard task, because of Elsa's awkward social skills, and Anna's unawareness about the aristocratic culture.

"Anna is getting accustomed to this." Mr. Kingsley smiled, while watching Anna nearing the fence, and snapping more pictures, "She is quite brilliant."

"Yes," Mrs. Kingsley followed his gaze, to find Anna snapping the pictures of a particular auburn haired boy who was currently riding a white horse, "But I think she has taken interest in a lot of boys. I heard about her stupid crushes from Elsa."

"Oh dear!" Mr. Kingsley let out a small sound of surprise, "Anna is only thirteen."

"She will grow up, my dear husband." Mrs. Kingsley continued watching Anna's growing smile as the boy of her interest took the lead, "Don't be worried. They are just crushes. Girls don't fall in love when they are thirteen."

"Well, I think if she does, the boy will get a good competition." Mr. Kingsley smiled affectionately to his wife, "She will wrap him around her little finger, just like you did." His tone changed from light to flirtatious, his wife sensed his intention immediately, and leaned forward for a kiss.

"I don't worry about Anna much." Mrs. Kingsley replied, "But I'm worried about Elsa. What if she remains alone?"

Mr. Kingsley quickly broke the kiss and gave a sideways glance at his eldest daughter. The book she was reading was now lying on her lap, and the wise father didn't miss the longing look in his daughter's eyes towards the handsome boy. It was the first time she had taken any interest in any boy.

"Anna will be there for her." He smiled at his worried wife. "They will always have each other."

Elsa had no idea how long she was staring at the handsome boy with auburn hair, and charming smile, but she guessed that she even forgot to blink for a while. Now he was approaching near the gallery, blowing kisses towards the squealing girls. Their eyes met for a second, and when he smiled; Elsa guessed that her heart had stopped beating for a while.

"Isn't he cute?" Anna announced to Elsa after returning from the private photo session of hers. She dropped in the empty seat beside Elsa, and lowered her voice so they wouldn't be heard by their parents, who were busy in kissing each other.

"Everything looks cute to you Anna." Elsa threw a playful smile, taking the camera from Anna's hand, switching on the monitor, and shuffling through the pictures she had taken. "This is ridiculous."

"What is ridiculous?" Anna sounded annoyed as she took a bite of her own pretzel. It snapped in two, half of it landing in Elsa's lap. Elsa's pretzels never broke when she bit into them. In the last nine months these two previously lonely girls grew very close. May be it was due to their lack of experience with people, or may be it was their differences that drew them together. While Anna became Elsa's link to the outside world; Elsa was Anna's moral compass. She was actually her champion. Anna worshiped her elder sister like a guiding star.

Elsa carefully brushed away the piece of food from her skirt, and continued shuffling through the pictures. "All the pictures you've taken contain only handsome boys. And when on earth you became interested in Daniel's toothy grin?" she pointed at the particular picture where Daniel was smiling, his pearl white teeth predominated others. "So is he your tenth crush?"

"Oh, that's…" Anna blushed, snatching the camera from Elsa's hand, "That is….oh, Elsa!" She cried, still blushing heavily, "Haven't you ever fall for a guy? You never have any friend. It is so unhealthy."

To her question she lifted her eyes, and threw a glance at the riding ring where girls swarmed around Hans like insects; she quickly lowered her eyes and replied, "Probably not." She agreed, "I think I'm a bit autistic…"

Anna wrinkled her brow. "What's 'autistic' mean?"

"Nuts." Elsa paused in her explanation to rub her fingertips free of pretzel dust. "Crazy. Freak."

"You're not wacko!" Anna stated loyally and emphatically, taking another bite of her pretzel.

Elsa picked it up and handed it back to her. "It could be because I'm a bit short in social skills; I can't trust people easily, or talk with them. I talk with the ice statues I make, instead of talking with real people. People consider me as a bad omen because my mom died when I was little and then my grandparents died a few years later. "

"That's not your fault." Anna persisted.

"But people think that. " Elsa added sadly, not looking into the eyes of her sister. "And bad things often happen in my presence."

Anna was dumbstruck at the sheer absurdity of such a notion.

"Where'd you hear that junk?"

"From a woman whom papa dated first after mama's death."

"What a jerk! She's supposed to help you, so she tells you all that stuff to scare you and make you think you're crazy?"

"No, she didn't tell me that. She told papa, and I eavesdropped."

"What did papa tell her?"

"He dumped her. But two years later my grandparents died. They moved in with us to take care of me. The next woman papa dated told him the same thing."

Anna digested that and then reverted to her earlier line of thinking. "When I kidded you about being so lonely, I was just trying to say that I think it's really amazing that we get along so great even though we're so different. I mean, sometimes I feel like you're better than me with people. I mean, sometimes I feel like a hopeless charity case who you've taken under your wing, even though I'll never be able to be like you. "

"Charity case!" Elsa sputtered. "But—but it isn't like that at all! I've learned lots of new stuff from you, and you have things that I wish I had."

"Name one," Anna said skeptically. "I know it's not my grades or my repeated crushes on the boys."

Elsa giggled so hard that tears began rolling down from her eyes; then she said very seriously, "You have an adventurous side that I don't have."

"One of my 'adventures' will probably land me in jail before I'm eighteen."

"Then you'll not be alone!" Elsa said. "What I mean is, when you decide to do anything like that you've always someone to accompany you there."

"You'll go jail with me."

"No, I'll go there to bail you out."

Anna considered that for a long moment; then her eyes began to sparkle with mischief. "Well, if we want to start our unbreakable duo, we should start with them." She pointed to the riding ring where girls kept admiring the winner boys. The one could catch the winner's jersey first, would get a chance to ride his horse with him.

As they approached near the crowd, Daniel was leading his horse to the cool resting place. The girls cheered when he approached near the fence, practically begging to kiss any of them. He smiled, and threw his jersey toward them. Anna, overexcited, leaned over the fence, and caught the jersey. Behind her rest of the girls screamed with disappointment, but Anna proudly pushed through them and walked near Elsa who was waiting at a distance.

"See." Anna shook the jersey proudly, "I got it. Now I win a ride with Daniel."

"Him?" Elsa giggled escaping a glance of the disappointed girls behind, "What got into you Anna? He isn't even your crush."

"I know." Anna shook her head enthusiastically, "But it feels sexy."

"Anna!" Elsa glared at her playfully, sniffing the sweaty jersey. The scent of his sweat almost made her gag, "It smells real bad. It doesn't sound sexy to have a ride with this stinking boy."

"Does it?" Anna rolled her eyes, took the jersey from Elsa, and sniffed it, "Well…" She almost gagged at the smell of it, but kept it hidden, "Still it's sexy…"

Elsa watched the expression of her sister with a mischievous grin on her face, and rolled her eyes too, "Actually I don't understand your definition of being sexy. But I think he smells bad."

"Oh, he does." Anna giggled, but the next time her attention was caught by the auburn haired boy walking towards the fence, and the girls began screaming wildly, begging for his jersey. "Look it is Hans." Anna cheered enthusiastically, "Let's get his jersey again before anyone else does."

"Oh, Anna." Elsa threw a disappointed look at her sister, although blushing inwardly "What got into you? He has a girlfriend."

"Who cares?" Before Elsa could even react Anna grabbed her hand, and dragged her among the crowd of cheering girls. She noticed Valarie, Hailey and others leaning forward, competing with one another to get his jersey first. And she spotted Sofia…

Thousands of butterflies flattered in the pit of her stomach when she saw Hans riding towards the fence, he put off his jersey, and he looked absolutely gorgeous in the flashlight…like a prince from fairy tales….

'Let's win this ride." Anna whispered in her ears. Elsa nodded vigorously. Hans had a girlfriend.

"Please." Anna raised her blue eyes, begging.

Elsa didn't know what led her there, weather Hans's glorious features or Anna's puppy eyed request…but she found herself following Anna, pushing through the crowd, and leaning forward over the fence….and Hans threw his jersey…

She felt the softness of the fabric in her hand, and the musky scent of his cologne trickled the pit of her stomach. They heard Valarie's disappointed sigh, and Hailey's angry muttering. The girls ignored them completely, and began walking towards the clearing.

"What a ridiculous idea." Elsa looked over her shoulder at the angry girls behind them, as they ditched them. "Anna, you're crazy."

"You went up there with me."

"But I didn't want to. I was so scared my legs were shaking."

"But you did it anyway." Anna cheered loudly, hugging Elsa tightly, "We're going to have a ride with Hans. Fascinating…"

"At least he smells good." Elsa threw the jersey at Anna so swiftly, and her aim was so good, that Anna didn't have time to duck. Laughing, she caught the fabric, and sniffed it, "I must agree with you, Elsa. He doesn't smell really bad."

"Sexy enough for you?" Elsa broke into laughter.

"Enough for me." Anna joined her, "But not sure about you…"

"Anna…" Elsa warned, and the girls collapsed in the middle of the clearing, shrieking with laughter. But soon they were interrupted by the blowing of the whistle; it was the time for the ladies' ride with the boys. The girls quickly got up from the ground, and brushed the dirt away from their skirts, and grinned at each other. Both of them knew that they were going to be the talk of the school tomorrow.

When they reached the riding ring again, they found all the others were paired up already. Of course the Kingsley sisters got inevitable glares from their rivals, but the girls ignored them happily. Overenthusiastic Anna pushed through the crowd, searching for Hans, dragging Elsa with her. Elsa was clearly aware of her sister's persistent crush on the handsome boy, though she also developed crush on every single boy in her class. And she almost let out a squeak when she spotted Hans in the middle of the riding ring, talking with one of his fellow rider.

"He is gorgeous." Anna whispered.

"Shut up, Anna." Elsa whispered, blushing herself too.

Hans Southerniles looked over his shoulder at the Elsa Kingsley, whispering to her overenthusiastic young sister, who was practically dragging her towards him. He excused his friend and walked near them, to meet her curious glance.

"So you are my riders?" he asked.

"Oh, yes…yes…" Anna practically spurted the words, unable to maintain her manners anymore. "Me and Elsa." She said, gripping a wriggling Elsa's wrist tightly so that she couldn't escape. She was blushing so heavily that Elsa could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks.

"Is she?" Hans raised his eyebrows, throwing a curious look at Elsa, "I didn't know that you ride."

"No, I don't. Only Anna rides." she replied, and her soft voice was so very polite and adult that Hans bit back a smile. Elsa's amazing politeness always fascinated him. If not he had a steady girlfriend, Hans would probably ask her for a date.

"Oh, don't believe her Hans." Anna informed him, "She is an excellent rider."

"That's great." Hans patted the back his horse excitedly, "Come on girls. Let's ride."

Elsa felt thousands of butterflies flying in her stomach with the thought of riding with Hans. Then she glanced at Anna who was looking at Hans with a longing look in her eyes. No, she just couldn't…

"You go, Anna." She stepped backwards, the familiar shyness was engulfing her again, "I'll just wait there…"

"No…" Anna protested firmly, holding Elsa's hand, "We'll ride together or won't ride at all…"

"But Anna…" Elsa persisted, "How can three of us ride one horse? The poor creature will buckle under our weight…"

"Elsa…"

Hans was immensely enjoying the playful interaction between the sisters. They really loved each other. Both of them were so different. If Anna was fire, Elsa was ice. But it was the ice which intrigued him most. He laughed at that, at the rare gesture of open affection, between the sisters. But he decided to cut in.

"If you want, I can arrange another horse for you." He smiled at Anna, who felt like that she had turned into a puddle.

"Oh, yes…" she murmured, "Thanks for…" But she couldn't let the rest of her words out. Elsa gave him a grateful look, and whispered, "I'll take the other horse."

'I honor your decision, Elsa." Hans smiled at her softly, and Elsa felt that her breath was caught in her throat for a second at his simple gesture.

Elsa got a black mare. She caught Anna's euphoric grin as Hans helped her to climb his white one. She knew she was happy, being so close to her first crush. And together they started the ride.

Elsa loved riding. Always. And she would be the happiest person if she rode with Hans. It would feel like a dream if she could sit beside him, with his arms wrapped around her waist…..She glanced over her shoulder to find Hans and Anna deeply engaged in some conversation. Her sister looked so happy. It was her happiness that red she cared most. And she knew Anna loved being near Hans. She continued riding with a smug smile on her face.

When they finished their first round around the riding ring, everyone said goodbye to the boys, and approached near the stable to return their horses. Elsa dismounted her horse and searched for Anna. She expected to find a happy, babbling sister, but instead she found a sad Anna standing at a corner.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Elsa placed her hand over her sister's shoulder.

Anna said nothing, but let out a small whimper. In the bright light of the mercury flood-lights, Elsa saw the tears at the corner of her blue eyes. "Anna." She moved closer to her sister, "What's wrong?"

Anna turned to face her, her lower lip trembled. Two tears rolled down from her big blue eyes.

"Anna…."

"I'm not Sofia." At last she burst into tears. Elsa followed Anna's eyes to find Hans outside the ring; his lips were locked in Sofia's in a passionate kiss. And not only had his, but all the other girls, seemed to have found their dates. May be Anna managed to win a ride with the most popular boy in the class, but unfortunately she was the only one who hadn't find any date.

"I'm tired to hear how good she is. How well she rides…" She chocked several times, "I'm really… really…jealous…"

"He told you that?" Elsa asked cupping her young sister's chin, and brushing her tears away. She was such a child sometimes…

"Yes…" Anna nodded.

"Do you want to learn how to ride?" She grinned. Anna raised her eyes to give her a surprised look, "Will you teach me, Elsa?"

"Why not!" Elsa took her hand, and began leading her towards the stable.

Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley caught their daughters leading two horses to the empty riding ring. Anna was watching her older sister carefully as she gave her the basic instruction about the horse riding. She looked like an ice queen beside the dark mare, with her long silver hair glittering in the flashlight.

"Look, how beautiful they look together." Mr. Kingsley whispered softly, "My little princesses."

"I told you they always have each other." Mrs. Kingsley smiled affectionately.

They turned again to find Elsa helping Anna to climb the horse, and adjusting her feet in the footholds. Mrs. Kingsley sensed that Anna was having some trouble with adjusting with the horse, and the horse was acting weird. She neighed in protest when Anna climbed her back.

"The horse is acting weird." Mrs. Kingsley threw a concerned look at her husband.

"Don't worry." Mr. Kingsley smiled, assuring his wife, "My daughter is an excellent rider."

Elsa adjusted Anna's feet in the footholds, though the mare let out another annoyed neigh. Elsa leaned forward and patted the mare's neck, to calm her down.

"I'm riding a horse for real!" Anna couldn't believe her luck, and fortunately Elsa was such a good teacher.

"Oh, you are, Anna." Elsa patted the mare's back, and instructed, "Now hold the rein."

Excitedly, Anna followed Elsa's instruction, and pulled the rein. But then something unexpected happened. Instead of moving forward, the horse's body jerked violently, and sent the rider reeling on the ground.

"Anna…" A sharp scream ripped from Elsa throat, as she saw her beloved sister being thrown on the ground. The mare raced free leaving Anna lying on the ground.

Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley screamed from the gallery.

And all Elsa could see blood.

A lot of blood. Dark, and sticky- pooling around Anna's head.

**REVIEW/FAVES/FOLLOWS?**

**I mainly use British spellings, but sometimes a few US ones. It is difficult to remember which is which, so they may be mixed up sometimes. But I always try to deliver my best before posting. Some may be missed. So if you find them point them out kindly. And may e some plot hole remains. It's hard to wrap up things sometimes. And I'm increasing the time gaps between chapters so that I can reach the main story soon. Sorry for the inconvenience. **

**Personally I'm not satisfied with this chapter. It took me four times editing to write this. I'm sorry if it doesn't sound up to the mark. But it's hard to transform the events from the movie into real life story.**

**Next chapter will be very dark. Until then keep your responses coming.**


	4. Stages of guilt

**Frozen Hearts**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

Chapter 4- Stages of guilt

The doctors said that Anna got a clot inside her brain, and she was taken into surgery immediately. Elsa escaped a sideways glance of her parents, sitting on a beach beside her. Mrs. Kingsley was crying hysterically, but Mr. Kingsley remained as silent as usual, with his one arm draped over his wife's shoulder. Elsa remembered the look in her father's face- the same tearless, expressionless look, which she saw at the night of her mama's death.

She couldn't remember the night much; she was only five years old. But she indeed remembered the expressionless look in her papa's face, or the hint of dried tears on his cheeks. He never cried when they were allowed to see her body, he only took little Elsa in his arms and held her for a long moment. He didn't tell her anything, and Elsa never asked. But she could feel that her mama would never wake up to hold her again.

A strange wave of nausea hit her in the pit of her stomach. Slowly she stood up from her place beside her parents, moved near the glass window, and stared at the pouring rain outside. It was almost two in the morning, but she couldn't even close her eyes for a moment- what if everything ended up like the night many years ago, when she and her father was sitting in a room like this, waiting for the doctors to come with the news of the death of her mother. What if…what if….

Oh, she couldn't think anymore.

Mrs. Kingsley rushed near the first surgeon who came out of the operation theater. The man was dressed in green scrubs, his face was covered with green mask, and the way he shook his head to Mrs. Kingsley's query that made Elsa to feel sick inside her stomach. Mrs. Kingsley broke into tears again; Elsa knew something was going really wrong behind the closed door of the operation theater. The sickness kept growing as her eyes followed the surgeon moving near the scrubbing basin, and she noticed the red stains in front of his surgical gown.

Blood. Anna's blood.

Suddenly her knees felt very weak, and Elsa steadied herself leaning against the window. She didn't know whom to blame for everything, she had so many things in her mind. Anna was the best thing that happened in her life. Why did everything good her life never last for long?

Whose fault was it?

May be hers. Or why would her grandparents have to die together just two years after her mama's death?

Elsa certainly remembered the night after the funeral of her grandparents, and her papa smoking through the night breaking his own rules. She remembered the horrible sounds coming from behind the closed door of her papa's bedroom. She didn't knock. Eight years old Elsa stayed awake all night long clutching her teddy, alone_. _

She was a bad omen. According to the woman her papa first dated, who told her the fact.

She should never let Anna in her cursed life.

But she just couldn't resist herself from being close to her new step-sister. After years of isolation and loneliness, she just succumbed to Anna's overwhelming affection. She was hesitant to meet her new sister after the marriage of their parents. But the moment that blonde haired girl with twin braids stepped into the church, Elsa knew her life had turned upside down.

"I'm Anna." The younger girl smiled, stretching her hand forward to meet the older one. Elsa was so hesitant to meet her hand. But Anna simply dropped into the empty seat beside her, and grabbed Elsa's hands which were neatly tucked in her lap. "We're going to be best friends. Aren't we?" Her smile outshone the sun outside, "And best friends have to stick together."

Elsa raised her blue eyes to meet hers. Her lower lip was trembling with the cry she was trying to resist. Oh, how much she yearned for a real companionship? "Really?" She whispered, unable to believe her ears. For the first time someone really offered her to be her friend.

Unwillingly Elsa's gaze rested on her hands tucked in her laps. She could still feel Anna's first friendly squeeze on her wrist when she told her about the death of her mother and grandparents or the way people treated her. Her presence caused all the bad things happening around her. Her relatives believed that, her classmates believed that. And for the last fourteen years she believed that. But Anna never did.

"Don't believe them Elsa." Anna hugged her soothingly, "They are superstitious. You are wonderful."

Tears rolled down from her big blue eyes, she didn't even try to wipe them away. She didn't know what she would do if something bad happened to Anna. Anna was her only sister, only friend in the world. Elsa closed her eyes; memories of their time together began to flash in her mind like a film.

Those times….those wonderful times they spent together….

A smile crossed Elsa's lips when she remembered their first social outing together, and the way both of the girls appeared in awkward sweatshirts and pants instead of fancy party dresses. It was Anna's idea of course. Elsa was very worried about the reaction of the guests, but it was Anna's who taught her to ignore them. Anna taught her how to overlook the critic eyes of the people, and to eat ice-cream sitting in a corner.

When Anna came home crying with her poor grades, Elsa was always there to defend her from their parent's disappointed glares. It was Anna who arranged small party in their rooftop secret lunch place when Elsa was left alone during the break time.

Elsa knew how much they meant to each other. How Anna reacted when she saw the ice-miniature of herself in Elsa's fridge, or how Anna taught Elsa to dance in the night before their first prom.

Those awkward moments strengthened the bond between them.

And the pillow fights….and Mrs. Kingsley's angry glares when both of them appeared from their rooms in the morning with feathers all over their hair….

How many pillows they destroyed in their nine months together? Elsa lost count. But she could surely count the days she hadn't had to see her therapist.

And in the nine months Elsa certainly learned one thing.

Caring.

But caring was never an advantage.

People said that the horse went wild. But Elsa didn't blame the horse. She was young, completely new to this environment. She was scared of the new rider. Being an expert rider, Elsa sensed that. She should never let Anna ride the horse.

But she was too much carried away with everything.

And now Anna was lying on an operating table, dying.

Now it left only one person she could hate- herself.

Suddenly, a huge clap of thunder scared Elsa half to death, and she jolted up to a sitting position, trying to catch her breath. She glanced over her shoulder to check on her parents, then the door of the operation theater busted open.

"Is there any family for Anna Kingsley?" Three of them were startled by the voice of a nurse. "Yes." Mr. Kingsley moved forward, and the nurse shook her head towards an elderly doctor. "Dr. Troll wants to have a few words with you." Three of them turned to find the old doctor in green surgical gown; he moved forward to shake Mr. Kingsley's hand.

"Mr. Kingsley, I presume." He shook his hand.

"Yes, I'm Anna's father." He shook back the old doctor's hand. Elsa moved closer to Mrs. Kingsley, who gripped Elsa's shoulder to steady herself. Elsa couldn't understand half of the words the doctor was telling to her father, but one thing she could understand that her sister was still alive.

"It was a close call." Dr. Troll said to the anxious father, "She got a huge clot inside her brain. She was so lucky that she survived."

Elsa took a deep breath. So, Anna was alive. Oh, my God. She couldn't forgive herself if she died.

Elsa walked near her father, and took his hand. "Can we see her? She couldn't but interrupt their serious conversation; her voice was still thick with the cry she was holding back. Mr. Kingsley saw the anxious look in his elder daughter's eyes and asked. "Yes, can we visit her now?"

"Yes" The good doctor took a glance of the elder Kingsley girl, anxiously waiting for his next opinion, "She is in the recovery room."

Dr. Troll began to lead the small group of people to the room where Anna was held. "What are her chances?" Mr. Kingsley asked on their way to the recovery room.

Dr. Troll heaved his chest and expounded his honest thoughts. "She is awake, but her mind is still in pretty much fragile condition."

"My girl!" Mrs. Kingsley let out a sob, and Mr. Kingsley held his wife's shoulder to support her.

At last they reached the room where Anna was held. Standing on the door way, Elsa could see her little sister, lying pale in the hospital bed, and was connected to so many machines that she looked overwhelmed, and tinier than usual.

"Can we go inside?" Mr. Kingsley asked.

"Yes, of course." Dr. Troll shook his head, taking a careful glance of his patient, "Just be careful. Anything that reminds her of the accident can deteriorate her condition."

Mr. Kingsley thanked the doctor for his efforts, and the good doctor went on his way.

Three of them stood at the doorway, at loss for word. Elsa was gripping at the doorframe, trying to process the news. Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley were thinking of making it easier for their girl. Mrs. Kingsley broke the silence.

"You can see her later, Elsa, when she gets well.." Her voice was affectionate and soothing.

Elsa knew that. "I understand, mama." She smiled, tilting her face to look into Mrs. Kingsley's eyes. "You two go inside. I'll wait here."

"Thanks, Elsa." Mrs. Kingsley patted Elsa's hand, before turning to the door, "It's just only a matter of few days."

"I know, mama." Elsa assured her.

"But…" the strange calmness in Elsa's voice didn't escape Mr. Kingsley's ears. As Mrs. Kingsley walked inside Anna's cabin, Mr. Kingsley stopped near his elder daughter, and cupped her chin, and tilted her face, so that he could look into her icy blue eyes, "Will you be alright, dear?"

Elsa could certainly read the fatherly concern in Mr. Kingsley's voice. She gently touched his fingers which were touching her chin, and smiled, "Anna needs you, papa."

A sigh escaped from Mr. Kingsley's throat. He certainly knew the depth of the maturity of his older daughter in the situation like this. He knew how much stubborn she could be. But he also knew she would never be alright.

As both of her parents disappeared inside Anna's cabin, Elsa stood at the doorway for a long time. With all the bandages and machines, Anna looked so tiny and buried from the glass that separated Elsa from her. But she knew she was alive and that was enough for now.

A strange lump was beginning to for inside her throat; she didn't attempt to swallow it. Guilt overwhelmed her, and she wrapped her arms around her to steady her trembling body. What had she done? She couldn't protect Anna. Instead, she let her fall.

She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Old fear was returning again. Old thoughts were flooding her mind.

Everyone was right about her. She was a bad omen. Her presence would take everything good from Anna's life. Now she couldn't stand here and endanger Anna's life with her presence anymore.

Two drops of tears rolled down from her blue eyes.

Through the glass which separated her from Anna, Elsa took a glance of Anna's face, and ran.

**REVIEW? FAVE? FOLLOW?**

**Plzzz…I love them a lot. Sorry for the errors, though I checked, but some may be left. And FFn sometimes decides to eat words, letters and spaces randomly so often. English isn't my first language after all.**

**What do you feel about this one? I think Elsa is a good character who needs to be explored. Hope she isn't too OOC.**

**Next chapter will be more emotional. Stay tuned.**


	5. Do you want to build a snowman?

**Frozen Hearts**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

Chapter 5- Do you want to build a snowman?

_January, 2014_

_She couldn't stop the old thoughts from returning; she couldn't prevent the old fear from consuming her mind. She couldn't control her trembling body, as she climbed into their private car waiting at the hospital door. She was having those dreams again. She was standing in the same churchyard, __surrounded by hundreds of headstones, each one bearing the name of her mother, or her grandparents__…and….and….Anna._

_She let out a scream as her body fell in the backseat, startling the driver who gave her a concerned look. She swallowed hard, and closed her eyes, asking him to take her home. _

_She couldn't stay here for another moment. She just couldn't let Anna die…._

"Miss Kingsley? Miss Kingsley? Can you hear me?"

Her silvery head snapped at the question, and she turned her ice blue eyes from the window to meet the mousy haired woman sitting in the chair opposite to her. Her thin pink lips were still trembling, even in the cold weather of early January couldn't stop the tiny drops of sweats forming on her forehead. She watched her for a few moments, and turned her eyes back to the window, to the pouring rain outside.

"It has been ten years since our last appointment." The mousy haired woman leaned forward, and touched the hand of her patient which was lying on the desk between them, "Why now?"

The elder Kingsley girl turned her eyes from the window, and gazed into the brown eyes of her therapist. Her fingers twirled the paper-weight on the desk absentmindedly; her eyes were taking in the surroundings. The chamber remained as same as it was ten years before- those clean white walls, cozy chairs and glass table. Even the flower vase on the side table didn't change at all.

She hated these clean walls, the pungent smell of disinfectants. She disliked them, always, from the day she smelt them in her mama's cabin.

_She visited Anna in the hospital, everyday; through the glass door she watched her little sister fighting for life. Her heart twisted painfully inside her ribcage every time when she saw Anna, lying in the giant hospital bed surrounded by so many machines, and tubes that made her to look so tiny and vulnerable than usual. Anna was always asleep when she was there and she never knew her presence. She simply sat there, took her hand and watched her little sister to sleep._

"_Elsa…" One night, she was startled with Anna's whisper. Anna tried to sit up, but this simple movement made her to wince in pain. Elsa almost panicked to see her little sister's agony._

"_Are you pain, Anna?" Elsa quickly swallowed the growing panic inside her, and stood up from her seat beside her bed, "I'm going to find mama and papa."_

"_No." As Elsa was about to go, Anna's hand around her wrist stopped her. "Don't go." She smiled innocently, offering her hand to hold. "Just hold my hand." _

_Guiltiness overtook Elsa's whole being as she read the innocence in her sister's eyes. Oh, my God, why she had to be so innocent. She tried to fight the impending cry rising in her throat as she took the visitor's chair, and held her hand. Anna had not much energy in her reserve to speak and this small activity drained almost all energy from her. So, the sisters sat in the silence for a long time hearing the steady beeps of the heart monitor._

_After a long moment of silence, it was Anna who broke it, "Elsa, I had a strange dream tonight." Her whisper was strained as she continued, "You and me riding a horse. Then the horse grew wild…."_

"_She remembers."…Elsa shifted uncomfortably in her seat, while Anna continued, "Mama and papa said it was a car accident. But I don't remember any car, Elsa." She gazed in Elsa's eyes curiously, "Was it a car, Elsa?"_

_Elsa was fighting a strong impulse to run away and hide, but strangely she kept her hands steady in Anna's grip. She gazed into her sister's eyes, and smiled, "It was a car, Anna. Mama and papa are never wrong."_

"_May be…" Anna smiled tiredly at last, "I don't know why I keep dreaming about the horse…"_

"_You must sleep sister." she was cut off in midsentence by Elsa's finger on her lips, as she leaned forward to kiss Anna's forehead, "Don't worry, I'm here if you have bad dreams again."_

_While Anna slept, Elsa was taking in her surroundings. The room was white and clean, full of pungent smell of disinfectants. And the old sickness began to grow inside her. She didn't deserve to be here. Anna's hand felt so warm in hers…Oh, no…she wasn't worthy to hold her hand. Why did Anna love her so much?_

_It felt like the old days when she sat in a room like this, by her mama's bed, holding her hand, waiting for her to die. What if Anna died tonight? Doctors said that she was out of danger, but her presence reminded her of the accident. She saw it tonight, what if it made her condition worse? Bad things often happened in her presence. The pale lifeless face of her mama flashed across her mind. No she couldn't stay here, not anymore. _

_She let go Anna's hand, and ran._

_She never visited Anna in the hospital again._

"You have my file." Elsa broke her silence, her voice sounded graver than the sound of the rain outside.

"Yes." The therapist leaned against the back of her chair, crossing her legs in a comfortable position, and continued observing her patient keenly. The rays of the setting sun pouring through the window, made a strange pattern against her pale skin.

"And you've read them." She continued, as she raised her hand to point at the green file in her lap, "You must know why I'm here, Dr. Ella." The constant tremor of her hand which rested on the desk, didn't escape the good doctor's eyes. She watched her patient for a short while, and then crossed her arms across her chest, "But I want to hear from you, Miss Elsa Kingsley."

_Elsa asked for a separate bedroom on the day of Anna's return from the hospital. It startled both Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley. Even Mr. Kingsley gave his daughter a concerned look, "Are you alright, Elsa?" His voice hinted guilt, "We never meant to…"_

"_No, it's just me…thinking…." Elsa stopped noticing her father's secret glare at his wife. After so many ruined relationships because of people's belief about Elsa, it wasn't abnormal for her father to suspect his new wife to be hard on his beloved daughter. "But why Elsa?" Mr. Kingsley continued while making Mrs. Kingsley to visibly cringe under his angry glare, "Tell me if anyone make you to believe…." _

_Oh, God. How could she tell them? She was just trying to prevent her relapse. She didn't want to burden her father with worries; he had already so many things in his plate. Now she was certainly ruining the relationship between her parents. So, she clutched her books closer to her chest, and chewed the inner side of her lips, trying to keep hold of the situation. She moved closer to Mr. Kingsley, and took his hand, tilted her head to look into his blue eyes, "Papa, I think Anna needs bit calmness for her recovery. I've an exam coming. I need to stay up late. It's just a temporary arrangement." Then she glanced at Mrs. Kingsley and smiled, "Don't worry, no one made me to believe anything."_

_Elsa didn't know if her words convinced Mr. Kingsley or he just gave up to her stubbornness, but she was relieved to see the anger gone from his eyes. He waved at his wife to follow him to their bedroom._

_And that night Elsa woke up with the sound of arguments coming from her parent's bedroom."_

"I've not much to say." She continued twirling the paper-weight absentmindedly, "You know everything."

"Hmm…" The good doctor flipped open the green file, and began browsing through the pages, "Yes, first time we met, you were nine. You were diagnosed as a case of PTSD. You were under my supervision for three years. But you father's continuous failing relationships with women and their view towards you worsened the condition. It is common for children in their early adolescence. But ten years have passed since the day. Those things are not enough to bother a strong young woman like you, Miss Kingsley."

"Tell me, Miss Kingsley, what brings you here today?"

Elsa watched the paper-weight to move on its axis three times before settling down on the table on its back.

_Mr. Kingsley spent next month in flying around the globe and Mrs. Kingsley remained in Anna's room taking care of her sick girl. Elsa talked a very little with Anna- a few times when they met at the dining hall. Anna tried to talk with Elsa several times, but she it never progressed too far because of Elsa's constant silence and Anna's overwhelming tiredness._

_Elsa was secretly pleased that Mrs. Kingsley was taking care of Anna so much. Slowly she was gaining color, and was looking much healthier, and Elsa continued busying herself with studies and science projects. Slowly the argument died between the Kingsley couple, and Elsa was finally able to convince her papa with her need for a separate bedroom. And Elsa was secretly pleased when her papa called mama back to his bedroom again after month of silence. _

_And it happened that night._

"_Elsa…" Elsa woke up in the middle of the night with a knock at her door. "Please open the door."_

_It was Anna, she knew. And she had a bad dream. _

_Elsa remained awake, staring at the expensive marble ceiling of her new room. Although Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley tried their best to decorate her new room like her old one, still felt so foreign, so unknown. Something wasn't right. She rolled on her back, gazing at the empty space beside her. Oh, God, for the first time in one month she realized that she missed Anna too much._

_Once…twice… the knocking continued. "Please Elsa." Anna's voice sounded like a whimper from the other side of the door, "I had a bad dream."_

_Anna had nightmares so often- of all the monsters and ghosts like a three years old. _

"_Elsa, please…" Anna's voice sounded almost like a cry from the other side of the door, "I'm afraid."_

_Elsa knew she was. But her own fears were more powerful than Anna's. What would happen if her presence reminded Anna of the traumatic event? What would she become sick again? The memory of Anna in hospital bed, made her to feel sick in the stomach. No, she couldn't do it. The doctors assured them that Anna was lucky enough to survive without any complication after such a big trauma. Although she had no memory of the accident, because her brain had erased the memories of that traumatic event, but anything that reminded her of the accident might hinder her recovery. Elsa knew the truth well, she was present when the doctors briefed her parents. _

_How much Elsa wanted to open the door and cradle her in her arms like the old days, and tell her about how silly she was to have those childish dreams. Elsa sat up on her bed, and wrapped her arms around her. She couldn't open the door…oh God…no, she couldn't. She remained silent, waiting for Anna to go away. But she even couldn't tell her to go away. _

_The knocking continued, and she continued moving back and forth….back and forth…_

_The knocking grew fainter and fainter, at last it stopped. Elsa waited for another while, but there was no more knocking at the door. Cautiously, she slipped from the bed, tiptoed to the door, and turned the lock, wishing for Anna to return to her own room. _

_Elsa's eyes caught a sleeping figure in the dark corridor between their rooms. It was Anna. She became so tired of this hour long begging, that she had fallen asleep in the corridor. She looked so thin and vulnerable with all the white bandages around her tiny head. Elsa moved close to her, bent down to touch her sleeping form, but no….Her hands stopped an inch away from Anna's sleeping form. She couldn't do it again… No…she couldn't let herself in Anna's life again. She let her cursed shadow to fall upon her. _

_So Elsa pressed the call button to the servant's room, and waited for them along with her panicked parents to come and find Anna. When they came into view, Elsa slipped into the shadows, watching them to carry Anna's sleeping form to the bed._ _Pain shrieked through her body and erupted in a tortured moan as her mind snapped into focus as her gaze stopped on__ the Anna's teddy lying on the floor. __ She shook her pounding head; trying to blot out the fears engulfing her mind…. Elsa's head fell back on the pillows, and she closed her eyes, oblivious to everything but the torment searing her mind._

"You read the news papers." After a long moment of silence, Elsa spoke, not lifting her eyes from the paper-weight. "My parents….my parents… both of them died in a plane crash. And now…" Two tears rolled down from her big blue eyes. "I…didn't attend their funeral. I didn't get to see them for the last time. I deserted my little sister. I am a bad daughter, am not I? "

The last word tore a small scream from Elsa's lips; she dropped the paper-weight and clutched her head in her hands. It was not like the Elsa Kingsley, the rising artist, the calm, quite, poised, and strong willed woman who made her name famous across the world at a young age of twenty four with her extraordinary talent. It was like the little whimpering girl who was brought to her chamber by her father, a troubled teenager devastated by her own fears.

So, the doctor simply held her hand, and waited for her to calm down. "You love them very much, Miss Kingsley. Even five months since their death, you're still wearing your mourning dress."

"But…" Elsa almost chocked, "I…"

"Death comes to us all." The good doctor patted her hand soothingly, "You can't avoid death. Stop blaming yourself, Miss Kingsley."

_Anna used to love their car ride on the way from their home to school when they used to share their girly secrets and giggles. On their first day, Elsa excused herself with a class at 7:00 am, and took the car to the school before Anna woke up. _

_But there was actually no class in that early morning. Elsa sat in the empty class room, staring at the ceiling, trying to resist the impending tears from falling._

_From the next day, she started to act really rude whenever Anna came to her during the break with a hopeful smile and offered her lunch. She simply threw away Anna's offerings, and stormed out of the canteen, leaving Anna sitting in her chair, alone. Anna never had another friend because of her, and she ate her lunch alone. Her tears made their way from her eyes to the cup of her milkshake. And Elsa stayed in the shadows, clutching her books close to her chest, trying to hold her shattered self together._

_Months after months she continued her acts and Anna continued asking and asking for the reason. She never explained her reasons to Anna. Whenever she came to ask, Elsa kept herself hidden in the libraries or in the labs so that Anna couldn't find her. And this silly play of hide and seek grew older and older. She watched Anna turning to other girls for company, only to be humiliated by their snobby behaviors. They still treated Anna as the country girl with no background, and continued teasing her for her imperfection. Elsa watched her crying at a corner, but she never came again to wrap her arm around her shoulders._

_Only Hans Southerniles never saw Anna in that way. He was always there when people treated Anna badly. Guilt or affection, Elsa didn't knew what made him to be interested in Anna. But she watched them eating together, laughing together, and growing together. She never interfered in their growing bond. Slowly she watched Hans taking her place in Anna's life._

_She wasn't jealous when Hans asked Anna to be his date in the prom. She was happy to see Anna dancing with Hans, kissing Hans, while she stood at a corner, alone. She wasn't heartbroken. She loved the way Hans' company made Anna happy._

_She didn't want to mess up Anna's dreams with her presence. She left the party early, alone. For the first time in her life Elsa felt really alone._

_That night she cried. She was so happy for Anna, but then why she was crying? She didn't know._

_She missed the school the next day. And the next day, and the days later…_

Elsa accepted the tissue, which Dr. Ella offered. She dried her tears with the tissue, and threw it to the trash bin; her chest was still rising and falling uncontrollably.

"The trusty board has selected Anna as the heir last week. I have no objection with their decision. She is certainly eligible for the position." Elsa leaned backwards, took a deep breath, opened her purse, and took out a few bundles papers from it. She put them on the table, and smoothed them gently. A sigh erupted from her mouth, as she gazed at the papers for a while. "But Anna emailed me yesterday." She paused for a minute, and gazed at the doctor's face for reaction, but she continued watching her like before.

"It is not new. She emails you every month."

Elsa sighed, gazing at the bundles of papers in her hand. "She sends only pictures. She never writes."

_Hans and his family moved in to Canada three months later, but Anna didn't come to Elsa for company anymore. Instead she found her company in photography and romance. In the next five months Anna succeeded to date three popular boys of the school._

_As Elsa grew more and more loner, Anna grew more and more outgoing in nature. She became less and less dependent on Elsa for guidance, and Elsa drowned herself more and more into her studies. _

_The more their differences grew, the more they fell apart. But there were still times when Elsa sat in the silence, thinking of the good old times. Elsa knew Anna did the same too, because she sometimes found her staring at their photographs together on the wall of their former bedroom._

_Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley sighed at their strange behavior, and they tried to talk with their girls, but they failed. Both of them were so stubborn, and became more and more stubborn day by day. Mrs. Kingsley cried, Mr. Kingsley sighed, but nothing could bring any solution._

_Elsa was always the brilliant one. So it wasn't hard for her to secure a scholarship in the most reputable school of arts in Europe. The parting wasn't tearful. Elsa didn't hug Anna before boarding the plane, Anna didn't come running to her either. She turned her back to Elsa, and Elsa knew she was trying hard to resist the cry tearing her heart. _

_Whenever she came home from school, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley continued begging Elsa to come back. They said that they missed her, Anna missed her. But Anna was out of the country most of the time in hiking or photographing, whenever she came home. So there were a few rare occasions when the sisters met. But whenever they met, Elsa saw Anna's pleading eyes begging for her company, like the old days. Elsa took her eyes away from her, before emotions overtook her._

_Anna emailed her sister every month. They only contained pictures. The pictures of their parents, the pictures of their room, or her graduation party, sometimes Anna herself smiling or sunbathing with her newest boyfriend on the beach._

_They looked so happy, but Elsa knew they were not. They missed her; she could see that in their faces, in their eyes. _

_Elsa missed them too._

_She never cried. She printed the emails, and tucked them safely inside her bag. Then she swung it on her shoulder and joined the crowd heading towards the next class._

"Did she write this time?" The doctor continued watching her patient with much concern.

"Yes." Elsa replied quietly. "For the first time in the last ten years."

"What did she write?"

"Not much. Only one sentence." Elsa gazed at the paper in her hand, her hand was trembling slightly.

_If you love me truly, come to my wedding._

"Are you going back, Elsa?" Dr. Ella asked quietly.

Elsa didn't respond. She turned her gaze towards the window. It was too late, all the shops were closed in this small suburb, and there wasn't a light on anywhere Elsa could see. The only luminosity was the moon, and even that was barely noticeable, almost fully concealed by the dark clouds that blanketed the sky. Buckets of rain tumbled down from the heavens, and a bolt of lightning ignited the sky.

"I don't know." She slowly turned her eyes from the window; her eyes were mirroring the sky outside.

**REVIEW? FAVE? FOLLOW? I love them too much. **

**Re-posted**** due to a major change.**

**For your information, Elsa is 24 in this chapter, and just graduated from a famous school of arts in Europe. She is in Europe currently.**

**If this chapter sounds terrible, don't kill me please. I had a hard time writing this. It is really hard to write ten years in one chapter, especially when English is not my first language. I found it very hard, and this chapter contains only half of my actual plan. Hope things are not much rushed, or Elsa and Anna aren't much OOC. Sorry for the errors, although I revised it, besides FFN likes to eat random words, letters and spaces.**

**In the next chapter we'll meet Hans and Anna together. Possibly some major twist (not sure yet about the twist, but Hans and Anna will come)**

**Until then enjoy. Stay tuned.**


	6. Love is an open door

**Frozen Hearts**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

Chapter 6- Love is an open door

Kentucky, 2014

The first entry of Anna Kingsley's diary of 2014 read:

_Dear diary._

_Today the love of my life returned to me, the man I dreamt to marry since my childhood._

It was a simple, optimistic statement, with not the slightest portent of the dramatic chain of events that was about to occur. It was one of those rare, serendipitous days when nothing could go wrong, when nothing would dare go wrong. Anna Kingsley never believed in fate, but that morning as she was browsing through her emails, a certain email caught her eyes.

_Dear Miss Kingsley,_

_One of our clients shows interest in your pictures you've send to us. If you are interested, please him contact in the following address. _

_May be it will be your red letter day. Be prepared to enjoy it._

"Be prepared to enjoy what?" Anna thought wryly. "Today is going to be like every other day." She always cherished to be a great photographer like Ansel Adams or Robert Capa, but she hardly got any chance to show her talent. She gazed at the email for the second time. What it could be? Same old sports events or some interviews with movie stars…

Photography was her passion. The day she laid her hand on her first digital camera, it became her life. Anna leaned her head against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. May be it was her only refuge too. From the day, when the doors were shut on her face…she had no idea why. She didn't know why Elsa did this, or why she suddenly began to act so rude whenever she wanted to get close to her. Anna didn't know the reason. But she knew she left her, deserted her in the middle of the sea of weird people who treated her like dirt, like the same old country girl without any background. People said that Elsa was jealous; jealous because Anna came to share her father's affection, her mother's caring, and Elsa was ashamed to have Anna as her step-sister. They said that Elsa grew tired of Anna's witlessness, naivety; it was a shame for a girl like her. Anna never believed them. But as the hours ticked by, all the empty halls began becoming so boring, that Anna yearned for company. As much as people turned her down, she sought her refuse in photography.

She emailed Elsa every month, and sent her the best pictures she captured. But all of them remained unanswered. Every day she checked her inbox, but there was no email from Elsa. Anna remained perfectly happy as long as she remained out of the house, but then again, when she returned home the similar emptiness of the huge Kingsley mansion came to engulf her. And also the memories…thousands of memories of their days together…and then she felt more and more lonely…

She sought her next refuge in romance. It was Hans who came forward in her worst time, asked her to be his date in the prom. She could still remember the way they danced, with his arms around her waist, his breath tricking her cheeks. "I love you." He said in her ears when he leaned forward to kiss her. Every girl in the hall let out angry sighs, and Anna felt like the luckiest person on the earth. In the next three months Hans became her only friend. They went to movie together, and parties, and in the lunch breaks they had lunch together. She still remembered the magical moments they shared, when they practiced "The swan princess" together. And all the stolen kisses…

But like all the other things of her life it never lasted long. After Elsa, it was Hans who left her without saying goodbye, only three months later they confessed their love for each other. People mocked her for her naivety. No one could be such a loser all the time.

She took a sip of the coffee from her mug, and gazed at the mirror opposite to her. At the age of twenty three, with a slim, provocative figure, Anna Kingsley had an exciting, exotic look; sea blue eyes, high cheekbones, and soft, honey- blonde hair, which she wore long and elegantly simple.

Boys attracted to her easily, she knew. Because, few weeks after her break up with Hans; Daniel, the second most popular boy asked her out. Bored with loneliness and rejection, Anna grabbed the opportunity. Then Johnny, and then Mike, but none of her relationships lasted long. Soon the girls began to become jealous of her, they called her the dating queen, but none of them saw the lost girl yearning for true love.

Anna chose her carrier as a freelance photographer, although she never had to worry about money. Money was no matter for a Kingsley girl, and Mr. Kingsley always tried to convince his daughter to get herself involved in his business gradually, but Anna refused as always. She longed for adventure, and it was photography which could give her the opportunity.

Anna was perfectly happy with her life, until the disaster hit. Their parents were killed in a plane crash, she attended the funeral alone. . As the question of the next heir rose, people began asking where Elsa was. She couldn't answer. She told them to wait. But the hotel business was falling; so the employees looked upon Anna to take her father's position.

Anna kept begging and begging to Elsa, sending her thousands of emails, but all of them remained unanswered. "Well." Anna Kingsley decided at last after sending the thousandth email, begging her to return, "If she ignores me, I'll ignore her too."

So like the all other day Anna Kingsley finished her coffee, ignoring the usual conversation with the trusty board about the business, and closed her door to get ready to meet her client.

But things never went in the way she thought.

The appointment was scheduled at 9:30 am, but Anna was late, and when she arrived her client was already waiting for her. A table was reserved for her in a private room, and from the door of the room she caught a glimpse of her client. He appeared to be in his early twenties, with neatly combed auburn hair, and was well dressed in white suit and matching trousers. She couldn't see his face, because it was hidden behind the newspaper he was reading.

"You are half an hour late, Miss Kingsley." He spoke from behind the newspaper; his voice was deep and rich, "It's not so usual for you." Anna was mortified for her delay. If it wasn't the usual argument about her choice of carrier with the damn trusty board…

"Sorry." She nervously dropped her bag on the table, and sat down in a chair opposite to him. He ordered two wines for them, and continued his silence. When the wines arrived, Anna took a sip from her glass nervously, so did her client. The air was so heavy with tension. And yet she hadn't seen his face.

"You're not punctual." The client continued, from behind the newspaper, making Anna's hands to shake a little, "Despite your flaws, I really do like you, Miss Anna Kingsley." He lowered the newspaper from his face, he was smiling.

The glass dropped from Anna's hands on the floor, shuttering into thousands of pieces.

"Hans…" She whispered, still not believing her eyes, "You…" Her jaw dropped at the surprise.

"Did I scare you?" He continued smiling, "Oh, Anna you've not changed at all."

Anna didn't know what to say, she could only blink several times, still unable to close her mouth. "You…." She whispered.

"Let me order another wine." Hans grinned; looking amused at Anna's baffled expression, "Besides I heard that you're single again."

Anna's hands were shaking, and all the emotions of the world flooded her consciousness- love, hate, loss…she didn't know which one she was feeling right now. She was surprised that she didn't faint. After all the years of silence, after all the humiliation, he chose to come back now….

"Why now?" Anna's voice sounded like ice.

"Anna," Hans was taken aback by Anna's cold expression, but he quickly recovered, and took Anna's hands in a gesture of apology, "Let me explain…"

"No..." A cry ripped from Anna's throat, as she freed her hand from Hans' grip, "Don't even try it Hans." Her chest was rising and falling uncontrollably, her body was shaking as she was trying to fight back her tears, "I'm not the naïve girl you know ten years ago..."

"Anna…" Hans was baffled by Anna's sudden outburst, he rose from his seat, and moved near Anna to touch her shoulder, "I can tell you…."

"No." Anna brushed away Hans' hand from her shoulder; her eyes were still blurry with tears. "Don't touch me." She shoved Hans backwards and ran.

When she returned home, she kept herself locked inside her room for the rest of the day, staring at the picture of the once happy family. There were several emails from the trusty board, asking for her final decision about the business. Oh, God what would she do now? To whom she would go for advice? Her parents were dead, her sister left her, and she had no idea what to do. She was so alone, so lonely in this merciless world. She buried her face in her pillows and cried.

She didn't go to anyone, even Hans for consolation. So when Hans called her several times that night, she simply turned down the phone, and sat in the darkness, alone.

That's how she her red-letter day started, that's how Hans Southerniles returned to her life.

Again.

In the next few days Anna got numerous texts from Hans saying how sorry he was for his sudden disappearance, or how much he wanted to apologize, and endless emails from the trusty board asking for her final decision. Anna never read the texts or opened the emails. She deleted the texts from her inbox and logged out from her email. Her phone rang and rang continuously and there were always at least thirty missed calls from Hans, but Anna never answered his call or never called him back either.

It turned into an everyday routine, and Anna learned to live with it.

But in the third week, suddenly all the texts from Hans stopped coming, so did the calls. First two days Anna ignored it, feeling relived by lack of them, but on the third day she began to wonder whatever happened to Hans, and on the fourth day she really began to worry. On the fifth day she got a voicemail from him.

_I am going back to Canada. Before I leave this country, I've something to say to you. After this, I'll never disturb you again._

An odd sense of emptiness filled her heart as she listened to the voicemail; an odd sense of guiltiness overtook her. She enjoyed his annoying texts, and she got worried when he stopped sending them. She admitted or not but she did care for Hans, and she missed him. If she looked into her heart, she probably loved him too.

And she was losing him again.

No, it couldn't happen again. After all she could still to hear his apology. For the first time in her life it was Hans who really wanted to apologize to her for whatever hurt he caused to her; unlike Elsa, who never gave her any reason except shutting her out. She probably could give Hans another chance.

Anna found Hans sitting on a bench, waiting for her in the park. When he saw her, he only shook his head, and Anna took her seat beside him. It was a cool winter day, with a soft breeze coming from the lake, and both of them sat in silence. "I want to apologize for all the hurt I caused you," Hans said at last breaking the silence.

Anna looked at him in surprise. "Why should you, after all these years of silence?"

"Because I think I love you, Anna. All those years I can't stop thinking about you. I'm sorry for my silence." His voice was filled with passion.

"But how can you even imagine that I'd love you back?" Anna was fighting a strange impulse to run away and hide, before her thirteen years old self overtook her. She tried to keep her voice steady; although she was afraid it shook a little when she spoke, "What are your reasons? Everyone, from Elsa to you shut me out, always. What I've ever done to deserve that? What? What?..."

She broke into tears, and she didn't even try to hide it. "How can you think I can accept you again in my life? How?"

Hans remained perfectly steady, as he watched Anna cry. He didn't hug her or take her in his arms, he only touched her hands which were resting on the empty space between them and whispered, his voice was so honest, "Anna, I wanted to contact you, but when my parents died, my elder brother just sent me to Canada, in a boarding school. I hardly had any money, to come back or contact you over telephone or email. My brother almost pretended that I was invisible, and I had to work every weekends and holidays to earn my food and education expenses in the foreign country."

Anna listened as Hans went on, and she was thinking, it was her own life story repeating to her. Both of them shared the same story- shut out by their siblings, living in loneliness, yearning for love. The truth was that she found his story more heartbreaking than hers. At least she had her parents to look after her, but Hans had no one, as he made his way in this rude world. She had never felt this way about a man before, and it was an exhilarating experience. She told him about her life story, and both of them cried together for their painful pasts. She felt her heart fluttering in her ribcage when Hans took her hand and smiled, "I know your pain, Anna. I promise, I'll never shut you out."

Oh, my God! Anna's breath caught when he said those words. He is always the perfect gentleman, damn him. He never let anyone to see his sorrows. But Anna could see right through him- a fourteen years old boy yearning for love. And she fell in love with him over and over again. She didn't protested when Hans took her in his arms, and kissed her.

"Whatever happened to you, it's not right, and I'm going to try to correct that, Hans." She said. He smiled, kissing her once again.

So when Hans offered Anna to accompany him to a photography session in Kentucky, she couldn't resist. She boarded the next plane to Kentucky with Hans.

It was an amazing experience. Hans was a well known figure in the world of photography, and Anna was amazed to see how good teacher he was. Beside him, Anna felt like an amateur. They went to the beautiful sites together, and snapped numerous photos, and Hans was always there with his innovative ideas about the shots. He had an excellent artistic eye too. He taught her, corrected her, and the more and more Anna saw him, she fell in love with him again and again. Hans arranged for Anna to appear at company picnics, at photography contests, and at dozens of social events, but she knew these appearances were expanding her fame as a rising photographer, and she felt more and more grateful to Hans.

Anna and Hans were having dinner at Cheznous, after Anna's first exclusive solo photography exhibition.

"You're getting famous Anna. You'll not need my help soon." Hans said teasingly, "Will you forget me then, Anna?"

But Anna took the matter seriously; she raised her eyes to look into Hans' "Do you think I'm really that selfish?" Anna sounded quite hurt. Her tone made Hans to look into her eyes, tears were about to spill from those big blue eyes. Oh, God why was she so naïve? Hans took her hand, and patted it gently, "Oh, Anna I never mean it. I know who you are. And that's why I love you."

Anna raised her teary eyes to look into Hans' face. She sat there looking at him across the table, thinking, "He's the most wonderful man I've ever met. What I'll do without him." She wanted to take him in her arms and hold him, for the rest of her life.

Hans read her thought in her face, because he took her in his arms, and Anna buried her face in his chest. He buried his face in her luxuriant blonde hair, and inhaled, "I'll always be with you Anna, don't worry."

Anna knew that it wasn't an empty promise.

They kissed, then again at the restaurant gate, then again and again through their way to the hotel. As they approached near Anna's room in the hotel, Hans said hesitantly, "Anna, it's almost midnight. You seem tired. I better go to my room, and you better take some rest. There will be another exhibition tomorrow."

"No," she said, and the intensity of her voice surprised him. "I'm not tired."

Hans turned to look at her. "You want me to stay? Am I reading too much into that question?

"Yes," she said quietly. "I want you to stay tonight." Anna took a deep breath, "With me. Will you stay, Hans?"

Hans looked at her a long time. "Yes."

Afterward, she never knew who made the first move. All she remembered was that they were undressing each other and she was in his arms and there was a wild, feral haste in their lovemaking, and after that, a slow and easy melting, in a rhythm that was timeless and ecstatic. It was the most wonderful feeling Anna had ever experienced. They were together the whole night, and it was magical. Hans was insatiable, giving and demanding at the same time, and he went on forever. And Anna thought, "Oh, my God, I'm happy. I'm really happy at last."

The next day Hans took her to another exhibition. Anna had no idea that it was her second solo exhibition too. This time the critics appreciated her, and the people kept whispering around her, "Oh, it's Anna Kingsley. Have you seen the picture she shot for the paper last week?"

Hans smiled proudly at her, "That's my girl."

"What would I do without you Hans?' Anna thought, falling for him again and again.

Whenever Anna wasn't attending any exhibitions or snapping photos, she and Hans found some time to be together. They went riding in a horse-drawn carriage through Triangle Park, spent a Saturday afternoon at the Antique Market, and had dinner at A la Lucie. They went on white-water rafting on the Russell Fork River one Sunday, only to turn the boat over and returned to the hotel completely soaked. They made love afterwards in the hotel room, in the woods, in the back of Anna's car.

It didn't matter to Anna whatever she and Hans did or wherever they went, she was always with him. Slowly the pains of her past began fading, so did the memories of Elsa, and her heart was soaring higher and higher with the dream of a whole new life. Her life turned more colorful when he took her in his arms, and the world busted into pleasure when he kissed her. The world suddenly seemed brighter, more beautiful. Everything was touched with magic, and the magic was Hans Southerniles.

On their third week in Kentucky, Anna received an email from the trusty board, informing her that they finally elected her as the heir. Anna was afraid; she was scared to take this huge responsibility. "I've never done this before." She said to Hans.

"Oh, darling." Hans kissed her forehead, "You'll do great, and believe me. I'll be with you."

His voice was reassuring, and Anna never felt so secure in her life before.

On their fourth week in Kentucky, Anna and Hans were hiking in the Breaks Interstate Park, enjoying the spectacular scenery that surrounded them.

"It is crazy. I've never been on this trail before," Anna said.

"I love being crazy." Hans smiled.

They were approaching a sharp curve in the path. As they rounded it, Anna stopped, stunned. In the middle of the path there was a human chain, made by seven small children, each carrying a placard: ANNA KINGSLEY, WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Anna's heart began to beat faster. She turned to Hans, speechless.

He took her in his arms. "It is crazy. But still will you, Anna?"

"Can I say something even crazier?" She hugged him tightly and whispered, "Yes, darling. Of course I will."

That night Anna typed the 1001st email to Elsa.

_If you love me truly, come to my wedding._

**REVIEWS? FAVES? FOLLOWS?**

**Plz, plz I love them, and miss them very much. Actually your responses keep me writing.**

**This chapter is hugely influenced by "The best laid plans" by Sidney Sheldon. Here Anna is 23, and Hans is 25. **

**This chapter isn't upto my mark, because I'm pretty sick while writing this. And the errors, well, I tried to find them, but my sleepy eyes may miss a few of them.**

**From the next chapter the real story will start. Until then, stay tuned, review and fave.**


	7. Reunion

**Frozen Hearts**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

Chapter 7- Reunion

February, 2014

It felt like returning from the grave.

It was the first thought occurred in Elsa Kingsley's mind when she stepped down from the plane. She collected her luggage as the immigration cleared her off, and walked through the door.

Coming back…again…. After so many years, it really felt so strange.

She promised herself that she would never come back. Even her parent's continuous request couldn't change her mind. She left the country for the sake of her sister, for the sake of her own sanity. She let her past go, and learned to live on her own. She forgot the memories that came back to torment her; she found a new life in loneliness.

Then why coming back?

After getting Anna's email, she spent many sleepless nights thinking about it. She visited her therapist at least a hundred times, argued with her, and she lost the count of the times when she stopped herself from replying Anna's email.

Then another thought occupied her mind. Another fear. A new one.

She brought nothing but sorrow to her parents; they died crying for her, begging for her return. How could she do the same to Anna? She couldn't even imagine Anna's tearful eyes on her wedding day. Elsa sat in her bed in her little apartment in Europe, and wrapped her arms around herself, moving back and forth…back and forth…

Then one night, she didn't know why, she fetched her small travelling case, and boarded the next plane to USA.

Standing in the waiting room, Elsa took in her surroundings. Things changed so much in the last few years. What about Anna? What would be her reaction after meeting her? What if her presence brought back the old memories? Elsa was fighting a strange urge to run away unnoticed, and board the next plane to Europe; then suddenly a voice from behind made her stop. "Elsa!"

"Anna!" She recognized the voice instantly. Swallowing the growing panic inside her, Elsa turned to find her sister whom she never expected to see again. She saw Anna, waving at her from the crowd of people waiting for their relatives. Anna pushed through the crowd, and walked near Elsa. "Hi." She smiled.

"Hi." Elsa greeted back hesitantly. She gazed at Anna for a while. She had grown quite tall in the last few years. She was no more the flat-chested teenager she remembered; instead she had grown into a true beauty with perfect curves. Oh, my God! When did she grow up so much? She had no idea what to say, neither did Anna. So the sisters stood in silence, gazing at each other.

Elsa was fighting a strong impulse to wrap her arms around Anna, but strangely she remained standing where she was. Even Anna didn't make any move; possibly she was too confused carry the conversation on.

"How are you, Anna?" At last it was Elsa who broke the silence.

The question startled the other girl. Possibly she had never expected such question from her sister. After years of shutting Anna out, this sudden question about her wellbeing was enough to startle her. "Fine" She replied curtly "How about you?"

Guilt overtook Elsa's whole being as she read the pain in her sister's eyes. Oh, my God, what she had done? How could she hurt her so much all the time? She wanted to hold her and ask for her forgiveness. But now, it was too late. There was so much tension between them that Elsa could hardly breathe. She tried to fight the impending cry rising in her throat as she replied back, avoiding Anna's eyes, "I'm fine, Anna."

She was so tired, so tired of lying all the time that Elsa felt that she was going to faint anytime. Possibly Anna understood that too, because she moved close to Elsa, and stood next to her. Elsa was fighting a strong impulse to touch her face, and hug her, but strangely she was able to keep herself as steady as before. Elsa was afraid that Anna was going to hug her, but she didn't. Years of distance didn't let her to do that. Instead she gazed into her eyes for a while, and Elsa was surprised to see how unchanged those eyes remained,

"Let's go home." Anna said in a low voice. Her voice was warm.

"Yes." Elsa wanted to touch Anna's hand but she didn't.

Anna led her to the private car waiting for them at the door. Anna took the driver's seat. She looked so confident when she turned the key and the engine roared into life.

The sisters didn't exchange a single word while Anna drove through the busy roads of Florida. Elsa noticed an old photo album lying on the backseat. Hesitantly, Elsa picked it up, and blew away the dust from it. Possibly it laid here forgotten for days, because dust gathered on the once shining photos, giving them a slight yellowish hue. As she turned the pages, her eyes caught a photo in the first page- an old photo which was taken during their trip to Miami. Both Anna and Elsa were wearing swimming costumes, and Anna was kissing Elsa's cheek.

Anna never had been to the beach. Elsa could still remember Anna's first reaction when she saw the sea.

But those days were gone, long ago. Elsa turned her gaze to Anna, who was driving the car. She had grown into an independent woman in her absence. Things changed so much between them. Elsa held the album close to her chest and closed her eyes. Two tears rolled from her eyes. She wished go back to the old times, and set everything right. But she couldn't.

The car stopped with a jerk, bringing Elsa back to the reality.

"We are home." Anna announced, flinging open the car door. Elsa followed her and looked around her surroundings. The Kingsley mansion remained the same- big and polished, except the little garden in front of the gate, full of roses, marigold and other seasonal flowers. It was so vibrant with colors that made Elsa stop.

"I've never seen it before." She whispered, turning her questioning gaze towards Anna, who nodded shyly. "Actually it is my idea." Anna said, taking a deep breath, "I thought it'll give our house a photogenic view."

Elsa was well aware of Anna's passion for photography, and her recent achievement in that field.

"It is beautiful." Elsa smiled at Anna. Anna stared at her sister for a second, unable to believe that she was actually complementing her.

"Thank you." Anna smiled back hesitantly, and then fell silent, unable to decide what to say next. Both of them stood in silence gazing at the garden. Elsa eyed Anna, she had so many things in her mind to tell her, so many things to ask, but she couldn't. The wall of distance was so thick that none of them dared to break it.

"Let's go inside." This time it was Anna who broke the silence, looking at Elsa's tired face, "You look tired."

There was too much tension in the air, and Elsa was happy that Anna ignored it. She picked up the luggage and smiled, "I also think so, Anna."

The girls were greeted by a maid whom Elsa had never seen before. Ignoring her curious glance, the girls walked near the staircase leading to the second floor. "You better take rest, Elsa." Anna said before handing Elsa's luggage to a servant, "Marvin will show you your room."

Elsa looked at the commanding face of her sister, wondering how much responsibility Anna had to take to run this household alone after the death of their parents. She noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Surely she didn't look like a bride to be. How much Elsa wanted to hold her, and kiss her on the cheek like the old times, and cheer her up. But she couldn't. She lost the right by her own fault. "Thank you, Anna." She said softly, and turned to follow the servant upstairs.

Elsa wondered if her bedroom had been moved to somewhere else. But the servant led her to the familiar room in the second floor. "This is your room." He informed, putting down the luggage, "Miss Anna told us to prepare it before you come home."

Elsa stood at the door of her old bedroom. It was furnished in antiques, including a graceful painted armoire and a canopy bed upholstered in blue chintz. Against the opposite wall was a writing desk, where she did her homework. Everything looked as the way it did ten years ago, not even a paper or pen was out of place.

"You've done your job well, Marvin." Elsa tossed some money to the servant. When he was gone, Elsa turned her eyes to the picture of her once happy family on the wall; mama and papa were smiling at her from the old photo frame.

Elsa entered into her room, put her travel bag down on the bed, and went into her old closet. She took off her blue cotton sweater, folded it neatly, and placed it on an empty shelf amid dozens of other identically folded sweaters that were all displayed and divided according to color hue. Of course they were much smaller than her current ones; she had grown up a lot in the last ten years. Automatically she ran her fingers though the old pile of wools. It felt a bit brittle and soft due to years of uselessness, yet it felt like home again. Memories flooded her brain as she touched the worn out sweaters. Here it was, the red one- the one she wore on their first day at the school together….then the purple one, which Anna gifted on her fifteenth birthday… and the white one, mama knitted it for her before she left for Europe. All those days, all those beautiful days now felt like nothing but a beautiful dream.

Until she woke up in the harsh reality.

But she couldn't think about anything anymore. She was tired, really tired. She tossed away her shirt and shoes, collapsed into the warmth of her old bed, and sleep consumed her almost immediately.

Elsa didn't know how long she slept. But when she finally opened her eyes, it was almost dark outside. Evening tea was served at her bedside table. Yawning, Elsa took the cup, took sip from it, and leaned back to her pillow. Her head was still aching from the journey and tension, and now this tea felt really refreshing. Elsa closed her eyes and drained the cup. The caffeine eased the headache a bit. It felt really so strange, back to her old room, to her old bed. It felt very much unreal. Taking a deep breath, Elsa slipped from her bed, and stepped out of her bedroom. For a large house, the number of the inhabitants was surprisingly low. All of them were busy with their works now, so in this early afternoon the house felt nothing like a big silent grave. Elsa remembered the odays when the house was full of life, full of joy. Even after midnight the sound of their cautious footsteps never ceased echoing across the corridors. And now only silence was the permanent occupant of the big Kingsley mansion.

The corridor led straight to Anna's bedroom. The door was open, but she was nowhere in sight. The door to her bathroom was closed, however, and Elsa hesitantly picked her way toward it through the jungle of clothing, shoes, scarves, photograph albums, camera equipment, and miscellaneous debris that covered every surface of the room. A gentle smile crossed her lips at the sight of her sister's room. Still so messy.

Elsa gingerly picked up the clothing lying on the floor. There were piles of them. Elsa sorted the used ones from the washed ones and began folding them neatly on Anna's bed. She used to do it when they were young. Anna loved the way Elsa arranged her things. Would she like this now?

Elsa was startled by a sudden click of the bathroom door behind her. "This is horrible." Anna said, emerging from the bathroom with a wet towel around her head. Elsa quickly placed the clothes on the bedside table and turned to leave.

"Oh, God I'm going to be late. Hans is going to kill me." Anna ran to the mirror over her dresser, and called the person in her room without recognizing her, "Hey, hey, will you help me with my hair? It is getting horrible. You know Hans will…."

Elsa stopped. Did Anna just ask for her help? She turned from the door to face her sister. It couldn't be real. It had to be a mistake. "Are you asking for me, Anna?" She asked, still confused.

"No..no…" Anna's face fell immediately as she realized her mistake. "I just thought you were…" she stopped in the mid-sentence. Elsa could feel the hesitancy in her voice. She gazed at Anna. She just had had her shower, and water was still dipping from the end of her wet hair. How much she wanted to run near Anna and braid her hair in a twin braid like the old times. But the door was closed between them long ago.

Now it was only a mistake.

"It is alright, Anna…" it was Elsa who broke the silence first, "I don't mind…."

Anna looked at her newly tidied room, and then gazed back to her sister. It felt so unreal, she and Elsa standing here face to face. She wanted to run near her, to wrap her arms around her neck and tell her not to leave. But the years of distance didn't let her to do that. So Anna simply smiled, and shook her head, "Thank you."

Anna returned to the dresser as Elsa turned to leave again. As she clicked the door open she glanced back at Anna, who was straggling with her hair in front of the mirror. Anna was always clumsy with dressing and makeup, and Elsa knew it was going to be a bad hair day for Anna. Elsa tried to inhibit the growing impulse to go and help her little sister, and leave the room, but after several attempts she decided to give up. Letting a sigh to escape, she closed the door and moved near Anna.

Anna couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Elsa's refection on the mirror. Startled, she turned her head to find her standing just behind her. "Let me.." Elsa picked up the brush from the table, undoing her messy bun.

"Of course." Anna smiled, looking back at the reflection of her and Elsa together on the mirror.

It felt like old times again.

Elsa tied Anna's hair in an elegant bun above her head, adorned it with bottle green ribbons at the end. They talked about current fashion for a while. Anna's mask of a matured woman began slipping away slowly. Soon Elsa realized that, Anna hadn't grown up at all. Behind the mask of a grown woman, Anna was still the child who admired her, loved her. She was still clumsy with dresses. She still saw her as her champion. She agreed almost immediately when Elsa chose a green-blue striped skirt with a matching black tee for her.

A text from Anna's fiancé came when they were in the middle of dressing telling that he had already arrived and was waiting for her in the living room.

"Oh, Elsa. Are you sure he is going to like this?" Anna cried after finishing her makeup and dressing, sounding as if she would die of disappointment if Elsa was wrong.

"Of course, he'll like it." Elsa said, and the both girls smiled together for the first time since their reunion.

"Oh, Elsa thanks you so much." Anna's face lit up with joy. Before Elsa could even respond Anna hugged her. Elsa's body stiffened initially at the suddenness of Anna's action. Hesitantly she placed her arms around Anna. She felt so warm under her cold fingertips. Warmer than she thought.

"Wouldn't you come?" Anna asked before opening the door and glancing at Elsa with her big blue eyes, "He is dying to meet you."

"Umm..." Elsa hesitated, knowing she was involving herself with Anna again. But she shouldn't. To keep her sanity, to keep Anna's sanity, she had to stay away from her.

"No." She said, her voice sounded firm.

"Oh," Anna sighed, the smile disappeared from her face. "Sorry. Never mind..." Her voice sounded heavy, all the previous happiness was gone from her voice. She didn't say another word, but simply turned the door handle, and walked outside without glancing back.

Elsa stood alone in the middle of the room. Her chest suddenly began feeling so tight that she could hardly breathe. The lightness of the evening was gone, replaced by the usual tension again. She thought Anna had changed. She had become a strong woman in her absence. But no, she didn't. Behind the mask of a matured woman, she was still the child she knew.

But what about herself?

She thought her heart froze over years. But now she realized she hadn't change at all. She was still the bad sister who used to hurt her little sister.

No, she couldn't do that again. She had caused enough hurt to her little sister. She came here to make Anna happy, and she promised herself that she would do everything to keep Anna happy.

Letting a sigh to escape, Elsa walked back to her own room. She peeled off her pleated navy slacks and hung them on a pants hanger in the section with blue slacks and shorts; then she padded barefoot along the room, opened her traveling bag, and retrieved a simple pleated white skirt. Then she retrieved a navy shirt trimmed in white piping and pulled it over her head. After slipping her feet into a pair of white sandals, she stopped at her old dressing table and ran a brush through her hair. Opening her purse, she found a tube of light pink lipstick, used it, and stepped back to study her reflection. The face that looked back at her seemed extremely ordinary and unnoteworthy to her, and it wasn't a perfect combination to meet one's sister's fiancée. She only bought a few dresses, because she intended to leave this place shortly after the wedding.

Elsa took a last critical glance at her reflection and climbed the giant staircase leading to the living room. The door was open, but Elsa had to pause at the entrance, because inside the room Anna was kissing her fiancée. They were in so awkward position that made even Elsa blush.

It was a bit weird to get to meet her future brother-in-law for the first time in such awkward position. But it didn't matter to her anymore. She trusted Anna's choice. It couldn't be bad. And she thought they needed some privacy right now.

She was thinking about going back, but it seemed like that they sensed her presence somehow, because they stopped kissing and looked towards the entrance.

"Elsa." Anna was surprised to see her sister standing at the doorway, "I..I…" she stammered, blushing hard to be caught in such awkward position.

"I'm sorry." Elsa said, feeling embarrassed for interrupting such precious moment of Anna's life. "I'm leaving..."

"But we've not been introduced yet." the girls startled with a voice speaking from behind. Elsa turned to meet the owner of the voice, the tall, auburn haired man with bright brown eyes. "Elsa Kingsley, I presume." He smiled.

"Hans Southerniles!" she whispered, moving her gaze from Hans to Anna, "Your fiancée?"

"Yes." Anna replied shyly, moving closer to Hans, and smiled, "Hans is my fiancée."

Elsa felt that her heart stopped beating.

**Review. Fave. Follow. Plz, I love them a lot.**

**It's not my best writing. I'd a writer's block on this chapter, but somehow I managed to get it out of my head. It's not upto my satisfaction. Still I hope Elsa and Anna aren't much OOC. Don't kill me for errors, I tried to revise it, but I'm still sick, so my brain isn't working well.**

**Next chapter will contain a bit Hans-Anna and Hans-Elsa. **

**Until then stay tuned.**


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